On November 25, 2020, Governor Wolf signed House Bill 2296 into law. This new law will require ALL drivers of ANY commercial motor vehicles holding a PA Driver’s License, to report the conviction to their employer within 15 days of the conviction.

This Bill had the support of PMTA as all of us that employ drivers know the surprises we received when we ran our drivers MVR or PSP reports annually only to find out then that our employees received speeding tickets or other violations during the preceding year. So please notify your drivers that they are required by State Law to notify you of any conviction they receive whether it’s in the personal vehicle or a commercial truck they are operating. Failure to notify you of any convictions can carry up to a $300.00 fine for the driver depending on severity.

Below is the current federal standard.

49 CFR §391.27   Record of violations.

a. Except as provided in subpart G of this part, each motor carrier shall, at least once every 12 months, require each driver it employs to prepare and furnish it with a list of all violations of motor vehicle traffic laws and ordinances (other than violations involving only parking) of which the driver has been convicted or on account of which he/she has forfeited bond or collateral during the preceding 12 months.

Pennsylvania is permitted to establish criteria that is more stringent than the Federal Regulations. 

“I anticipate the Federal Regulations will be amended in a similar fashion at some point," PMTA Safety Director John Rigney said. "In my professional opinion, most companies that support a safety culture require drivers to notify their managers within 24 hours of the receipt of a traffic citation. In these days of 'nuclear verdicts' it is paramount that motor carriers protect themselves by eliminating the detonators."